Cloth stretcher and straightener.



J. EDMUNDS. CLOTH STRETCHER AND STRAIGHTENER.

4 APPLICATION FILED OCT-8. 1915.

PatentedNov. 7, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Fig.1

- John Edmunds 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Fig.

5| .7! 294 an 3 A I 6' 33 V 6 34 I; 70 37 x 7a 35 l9 F12. 6. L F" "1 v 4m 5 29 7 i I l T- vY 1 InvenToc John Edmunds b /wwkm JOHN EDMUNDS, OFWALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH STRETCHER AND STRAIGHTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916,

Application filed October 8, 1915. Serial N 0. 54,781.

7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EnMUNns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Waltham, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvementin Cloth Stretchers and Straighteners, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing,is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing likeparts.

This invention relates to an apparatus for stretching and straighteningcloth and it has for one of its objects to provide a novel apparatus ofthis nature which is so constructed that it acts on the edges only ofthe web or cloth to be stretched and straightened, thus avoiding thedisadavantages which are inherent in those machines which involve theuse of calender or other rollers that have contact with the cloth acrossits entire width.

Where stretching or calendering rollers are used that do thus havecontact with the cloth throughout the entire width of the latter itsometimes happens that the rollers will either leave a mark on the clothor that the contact of the rollers withthe cloth will flatten down thesurface of the cloth. My improved machine avoids this difliculty byusing rollers which contact with the edgesonly of the cloth.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a novel machine which canbe used either separately as an independent machine or may be used inconnection with drying machines, or other machines used in the finishingof cloth.

Other objects of the invention are to pro-- vide a novel machine ofthis' character by which the relative speed of movement of the two edgesof a fabric can be varied as it is fed through the machine and which isso constructed asto operate on different widths of cloth. a 1 Otherobjects are to improve cloth-stretching and straightening machines, allas will be more fullyhereinafter described and then,

pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to give an understanding of my invention I have illustrated inthe drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will I now bedescribed.

Referring to' the drawings, Figure 1 is a planview of a machineembodying my invention; Fig; 2 is an enlarged sectional viewon theline.22, Fig. 1; Fig, 3" is a. .sectlon on the line 3 -3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4is and straightened, said rollers being set with their axes at an angleto the direction of movement of the cloth so that the action of therollers will be to stretch the cloth. The

machine also is provided with means for varying the relative speed atwhich the rollers operate, thus providing for feeding one edge of. thecloth faster or slower than the other, this construction being made useof to straighten the cloth and bring it into a condition wherein theweft threads will extend at' right angles to the length of the cloth.The machine is also constructed so that thetwo pairs of cloth-feedingand stretching rollers can be adjusted toward and from each otherthereby adapting the machine for use on different widths of cloth.

The cloth feeding and stretching rollers of one pair are designated 1and 2, nes'pectively, and those of the other pair are indicated at 3 and4. All of these rollers are suitably mounted in a frame 5 which isherein constructed to, present two upper cross members 6, the two lowercross members 7, and the end tie members 8 which secure the crossmembers together. This frame 5 is supported on standards 9. Each of therollers 1s journaled in a yoke which in turn is mounted in the frame 5for 'turning movement about an axis perpendicular to that about whichthe roller turns, thus providing for setting the rollers at the-de-.sired angular inclination. The lower rollers 52 and 4, are eachjournaled vin a yoke 10 lwhich is, swiveled to a carrierior support 11thatizis sustained on the lower frame members 7,'= -'-'said yokes beingpivoted to the supports. at 12. The upper rollers 1 and 3 are j ounfialed in yokes 13, each of which has a' stemel i extending upwardlytherefrom that'is mounted for turning movement in a supportf 15 that ismounted on the upper framemembe-rs 6. The axes of the stems 14- are inline with the pivots 12 so that the yokes of each same axis;

The under rollers 2 and 4 of each pair conpair of rollers turn about thestitute the. driving rollers and the upper rollers 1 and 3 constitutethe Presser rollers.

Each driving roller 2 and 4 is driven from a pulley 16 fast on the shaftof the roller and which is connected by a belt 17 to a driving roller ordrum 18. These rollers 18 are mounted on shafts 19 which are ournaled inthe brackets 9 and the center bracket 20 respectively. The means fordriving the rollers 18 is such that the speed of rotation of saidrollers can be varied relative to each As herein shown one shaft 19 isother. belted to a driving shaft 21 by means of a belt 22 and the othershaft 19 is belted to the driving shaft 21 by means of another belt 23which operates over the cone pulleys- 24 and 25 on the shafts 19 and 21,respectively. The driving shaft 21 may be driven from any suitablesource, such as a driving pulley 26. The speed of rotation ofrthe shaft19 which is connected to theQdriving shaft 21 through the belt 22 has afixedrelathe relative speed at which the driving roll-- ers 2 and 4 areoperated can be varied. The purpose of this construction will be morefully set forth hereinafter.

27 indicates a table or rest over which the cloth is'delivered to therollers, this table or rest being suitably secured to the frame 5.

In order to effect the desired stretching of the cloth, the rollers areset so that their axes have an angular relation to the direction ofmovement of the cloth, as seen in the diagram Fig. 5, wherein 28designates. the cloth'which is moving in the direction of p the arrow,and wherein the rollers are shown diagrammatically at 1 and 3. Tf therollers are placed in the angular position shown in Fig. 5, the actionof said rollers on the cloth will be to draw the cloth through therollers and at the same time to stretch the cloth, as will be obvious.The degree to which the cloth is stretched depends upon the'angularposition of. the rollers, and my apparatus provides means for adjustingthe yokes 10 and 13 of the rollers so as to give the rollers any vdesired angular relation to the direction of the movement of the cloth.Each yoke has rigid therewith a segmental gear or rack 29 which isformed on the arc of a cir-. ole having as its center the aXis aboutwhich the yokes turn. These racks mesh with pinions 30 carried byvertically-arranged shafts 31 and 32 that are suitably journaled in theframe 5, each shaft having two pinions 30 thereon, one of which mesheswith the rack 29 for the upper yoke 13 and the other of which mesheswith the rack29 for the lower yoke 10. By turning the shafts 31* and 32the yokes will be turned about their axes thereby changing the angularposition of the axes of the rollers. The two shafts 31 and" 32 areconnected so that they may be oper- V ated in unison from a singlepoint, thus insuring that both pairs of rollers will have the sameangular position. For this purpose each shaft 30 and 31 is provided atits lower end with .a worm gear 33 which meshes with a worm 34 on aroller-adjusting shaft 35 which is j ournaled in suitable bearings 36carried by the frame and is shown as provided with a hand wheel 37 bywhich it may be operated. By this means the two pairs-of rollers will besimultaneously, adjusted and will always have the same anguvlar relationto the direction of movement of the cloth.- i

As stated above, the upper rollers 1 and -3 are in the nature of presserrollers and the pressure is given to said rollers by means of springs 40situated within the stems 14 of the yokes 13 which are made hollow forthis purpose. Each stem' is mounted for sliding as well as turningmovement in .its support 15 and the spring 40 in each stem rests at itsupper end against a nut 41 which is slidably mounted in the stem, but isheld from rotation therein and which has screw-threaded engagement withaspindle or screw-threaded shaft 42 which is journaled in a bearing 43carried by the frame 5, but is held frommovement longitudinally thereof.By rotating-the shaft 42 the'nut 41 will be moved up or down there byvarying the tension of the spring 40 and thus varying the pressure ofthe rollers 1 and '3 against the cloth. I have. provided herein meansfor simultaneously adjusting.

the tension of both springs 40, and for this purpose each spindle-42 hasa bevel gear 44 fast thereon which. meshes with a bevel pinion 45 on ashaft 46 mounted in suitable bearings 47 carried by the frame This shaft46 is provided with a hand-wheel .48 by which it may be operated.v Thetension of the springs 40 can thusbe' adjusted by simply turning theshaft 46- one way or the other.

In using the devices for stretching cloth, the cloth will be fed betweenthe rollers and the angular position of the rollers will be adjusted. byturning the shaft 35 solt'hat the cloth will be stretched to the properwidth as it is delivered from the machine. This angular adjustment therollers can be easily efiected while the machine is in operation.

ram

- It sometimes happens that during the I process of finishing cloth itbecomes dis-. 'torted soithat the weft threads -d0.not lie square acrossthe cloth. This is illustrated I .in Fig. 5 whereinthe. weft threads areindicated by the lines a. and b. The weftl threads a extend in aninclined direction 0 across, the cloth and when the cloth becomesstraightening the cloth. When the cloth be? distorted to produce thiseffect it is desirable that the cloth should be straightened so as tobring the weft threadssquare across the cloth. This straightening effectis herein accomplished by causing the rollers of one pair to rotatefaster than those of the other pair so as to cause one edge of thefabric to move faster than the other untilthe two edges havesuchrelative positions that the weft threads extend square across thecloth.

- the cloth, then he will shift the position of the belt 23' so as tocause one pair of rollers to rotate faster than the other, thus comesstraightened he. will again shift the f belt 23 so as to cause therollers of the two In order to adapt themachine'for use on pairs torotate at the same speed, thus main taining thecloth. in itsstraightened condition.

[different widths of'cloth', I have provided means whereby the two pairsof. rollers can be adjusted toward and from each other.

.This is accomplished by making the upper ings 63 carried by the frame.62 is provided with right and left screw threaded portions 75 and 76 sothat as the supports 15 and also the lower supports. 11 capable ofadjustment toward and-from each other. The supports 15 areslidablymounted between the upper frame members 6 and the frame members 7 andacting as guides for the supports 11. Each support. 15 has rigidtherewitha nut or boss .61 which has screw-threaded engagement with ascrewthreaded shaft 62 j ournaled in suitable bear- This shaft shaft isturned the supports 15 will be moved toward or from each other. Each ofthe supports 11 has rigid therewith a nut or boss 64 which hasscrew-threaded engagenient with a shaft 65 that is journaled in suitablebearings 66 carried by the frame.

J This shaft 65 is provided with the right and left screw-threadedportions 77 and 78 so that'as it is turned the supports 11 will be movedtoward and from each other. The

- shafts 62 and 65 are provided with' bevel gears 67 and 68,respectively, that mesh with bevel gears '69 and 70 on avertically-extending shaft 71 that is provided at its lower end with ahand-wheel 72 by which it may be operated. With this construction thepairs of rollers can be adjusted toward and from each other by simplyturning the shaft 71 and thus the rollers can be adjusted to operate oncloth of anv width The driving rollers or drums 18 are elongated so thatthe belts 17 will have operative engagement therewith in any adjustedpositions of the pairs of rollers relative to each other.

' Itwill be observed that the rollers have engagement with the clothonly at-the edges thereof, and, therefore, the central or body portionof the cloth is not liable tobecome injured or marked in any way byreason of its engagement with a stretching roller or straighteningroller.

I claim:

1. In a machine for stretching and straightening cloth, the combinationwith two pairs of cloth-feeding and stretching rollers adapted to act onthe edgesof a'web of cloth, of means for adjusting said pairs of rollerstoward and from each other to correspond to different widths of cloth,means for positively driving one roller of each pair, and meansoperative in any adjusted position of said pairs of rollers to vary therelative speed of the driven rollers.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with two pairs ofcloth-feeding and stretching rollers adapted to act on the edges ofa'web of cloth, of means to adjust the rollers of both pairssimultaneously about an axis at right angles to the axis of the roller,and means operative in any adj usted position of the rollers forrotating the same.

3 In a device of the class described, the combination with two pairsof'cloth-feeding and stretching rollers adapted to act on the 1 edges ofa web of cloth, of means to adjust said pairs of rollers toward andfrom-each other to correspond to different widths of cloth, means forrotating said rollers, and

means operative in any adjusted position of the rollers to adjust'therollers of both palrs simultaneously about an axis at right angles tothe axis of the rollers.

4'. In a device of the class described, the.

combination with two pairs of cloth-feeding and stretching rollersadapted to act on the edges of a web of cloth, of means for posltivelydriving one roller of each pair, means for varying the relative speed of.the driven rollers, and'means" to adjust the rollers of both pairssimultaneously about an axis at right angles to the. axis of-therollers.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with two pairs ofcloth-feeding and stretching rollers adapted to act on the edges of aweb of cloth, of means for positively driving one roller of each pair,means for varying the relative speed of the driven rollers, and means toadjust the rollers of both pairs simultaneously about axes atright'angles to the axes of the rollers.

6. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a frame, of two pairs of.

cloth feeding and stretchingrollers, 'a yoke in which each roller isjournaled, means for sustaining said yokes in said frame for turningmovement about an axis at right angles to the axes of the roller, andmeans for turning all of said yokes simultaneously.

7 In a device of the class described, the

combination with a frame, of two pairs of cloth-feeding and stretchingrollers mount ed in said frame, means for rotating one roller of eachpair, means for adjustingthe pairs of rollerstoward and from eachother,

-means operative-inany adjusted position of the rollers forvarying therelative speed of roller of each pair, means for varying therelativeIspeed of the driven rollers, means for ad usting the pairs ofrollers toward -and from each other, and means to adjust v the rbllersof. both pairs simultaneously about an axis at the roller. p 7 9. In amachine for right angles to the ams of v r V name to this specification.v I stretching and straightening cloth, the combination with" two pairsof cloth-feeding and stretching rollers adapted to act on the edges, ofa web of cloth, of means for positively driving one roller of each pair,means for, varying the relative speed of the driven rollers of the twopairs, and means for holding the rollers of each pair yieldingly pressedtoward each other.

10. In i a machine for stretching and straightening cloth, thecombination with two pairs of cloth-feeding and stretching rollersadapted to act on the edges of a web of cloth, of means for positivelydriving one roller of each pair, means for varying the the two pairs,means for holding the rollers of each pair yieldingly pressed towardeach other, and means to adjust the rollers of both pairs simultaneouslyabout an axis at right angles to the'axis of the rollers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my tons JEDMUNDS.

